Where grace abounds

Components of Obedience

Why is it that some people say they just can’t be faithful to God? “I try,” one person told me, “but I always go back to what I was doing.”

Perhaps those who have this difficulty don’t understand what obedience is or what its component parts are. Problems with faithfulness are really problems learning how to obey God. So, what are the component parts of obedience?

Humility must be one of the basic building blocks of obedience. Jesus Christ, exalted in heaven and worshiped by myriads of angels, humbled himself and became obedient even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:5ff). If it was necessary for the Lord Christ to humble himself and obey, shouldn’t it be necessary for us?

Determination is also a component of obedience. Some people have difficulty quitting smoking. The reason they do is that they haven’t decided they’ve smoked their last cigarette. A person must determine to turn from sin and walk away from worldliness.

One must also understand Jesus is Lord. In Isaiah 38:3, Hezekiah told God his had followed him with “wholehearted devotion,” He meant there was no divided loyalty. We call Jesus Lord and we are right because that’s what he is ( John: 13:13). But do we pick and choose which commands we’ll obey?

Trust is an important part of obedience. We must trust God for every need in life. We must learn to devote ourselves to him and trust him. Humans, however, believe they’re better at controlling their lives than anyone else, sometimes even including God. But, God has proven time and again that man does not know how to direct his steps. We must follow Jesus and trust him.

Implanting these components of obedience into our lives will help us become more faithful to the Lord. May God help us as we give our lives to him.